Shorty Post About my New Favorite Thing

I know most of you are still wishing for summer, but she has ARRIVED in Tucson.

Sometimes the boys wake up in the morning, and it’s already 80 degrees out. Last summer, we became big fans of the breakfast popsicle. I tried some different varieties and recipes, and frankly with all the yogurt and fresh fruit, they were kind of expensive to make. And some recipes called for ice cream. Yes, ICE CREAM for breakfast. Sure.

Recently I re-discovered a recipe I had filed away in my recipe manager a really long time ago, and now it’s my absolute favorite thing. It is the Horchata Pops recipe from Real Simple. (Real Simple is not sponsoring this post in any way, I just like to pass on good ideas when I find them!) They are real simple to make (see what I did there?), cost hardly anything, and have been a big hit with my boys.

Horchata Pops

3 1/2 cups rice milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch fine salt

Whisk, pour, freeze, done.

I use half of this recipe to fill six traditional sized ice pop molds.

Yes, they have sugar in them. But less per serving than yogurt. The rice milk has no saturated fat, no cholesterol, is full of antioxidants, and is good for cardiovascular health. The minimal amount of cream added provides calcium, and could be reduced in amount, or easily be replaced with half and half, or a dairy free alternative like coconut milk. Cinnamon regulates blood sugar levels, and is also good for your heart. Flexible recipes are my favorite, you can play around with them to meet your family’s dietary needs and preferences. This one definitely fits that bill.

It’s my new favorite thing, a total parenting win. The boys think they’re just having popsicles for breakfast, but joke’s on them! They’re getting hydrated and getting health benefits to boot. And hey, you might like them too!